When choosing a suitable toy for their kids, parents often think of killing two birds with one stone. That is to say, they want a toy to be fun to use but also beneficial in other ways. And with our list of the best commercially available activity cubes, who is to say that is not a possibility.
The really cool feature of activity cubes, in general, is while they are great fun to play with, they do wonders for a child’s learning experience. They challenge kids to get creative, educated, and able to solve problems all while they are enjoying themselves fully. Many have elementary details like alphabets and numbers integrated into their functions so children will become familiar with them very early on. And they are adept at keeping their notoriously short attention span long enough for you to get some solid respite for yourself finally.
But with so many activity cubes out there, it is not easy to pick a favorite. That is why we have compiled this list. Our selections are based on the mandatory criteria that must be met by any activity cube (build quality, durability, and safety) as well as additional features that give them an edge over their competition.
Hape Country Critters Wooden Activity Play Cube
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Why we like it: It has all sorts of delightful activities to offer any way you look at it and is responsibly made to be safe and durable.
This convenient package of fun comes equipped with no less than 5 different activities to keep the youngest and brightest fully occupied and in a good mood. It has a ball roller coaster, shape sorting puzzle, a tracking panel, and rotating maze, and on top, a brightly colored layout floating wire your child will no doubt find fascinating. There are also plenty of shapes and animals in a lively assortment of colors and ready to play. All of them have been given large animated eyes, which we find simply adorable.
Everything about this activity is focused not just on giving your child some jolly good fun but developing some crucial faculties of the mind that will come in handy later on. It challenges your kid to be imaginative, solve problems. and develop their motor skills, all in a fun way. And to keep the fun times safe as well, it is made from wood and has a safe paint finish. It is a really fun thing for anyone between ages 6 and 12.
ALEX Jr. Woodland Wonders Activity Center
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Why we like it: We just love the earthy tones it has and the overkill of fun activities it offers. This promises to be a favorite for many years and for many reasons.
The Alex Jr. Woodland activity center has a super cool forest theme to it and features an impressive seven sides of fun. Just try feeling bored with it. No? That’s what we thought. On top, a curvy maze with wooden beads running aimlessly around it and there is a track going around a few forest animals such as a frog, fish, duck, and turtle. And that is just one side. The others have features like racing rollers, open/close doors, alphabet blocks, spinning gears, and spin and match critters.
It is full of stuff that moves in every direction you can think of. As a child, the amount of fun you can have with this toy is virtually limitless. Just about everything it does is bound to excite you and make you happy. And a happy child makes for a happy home. We recommend it unreservedly for any child past the age of 18 months. Its forest theme is just so authentic and sparks that appreciation for Mother Nature early in a child’s development.
Anatex Deluxe Mini Play Cube
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Why we like it: Nicely harmonizes the learning with the fun and develops your child’s cognition from a very early age.
This activity cube is an award winning favorite among children. The activities it offers promise to keep your child engaged and in a happy mind for hours on end. It has an alphabet, counting abacus, rollercoaster express, fun gears, and a path finder. Your child will learn to love math early so they will not hate it later on. Other skills that can be developed here are color recognition, hand-eye coordination, and visual tracking. You place it either on the floor or on top of a table.
For a little child still getting to understand the elementary aspects of the world they live in, this activity cube is simply a feast for their senses. It engages so many of their mental faculties in fun and creative ways. And it can do that for any child above the age of two. Perhaps it is not surprising then that it is a Parent’s Choice Gold Winner. With five different sides, each with its unique brand of fun, it will be of good credit to your child’s bright and happy future.
EverEarth Garden Activity Cube
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Why we like it: Brings your child as well as other children to a happy place of fun and learning while remaining safe and durable to play with.
It is not all fun and games you should be looking for when buying an activity cube. You should also keep a keen eye out for safety, durability, and potential cognitive development. Enter the EverEarth Garden Activity Cube. It will pull off all of those stops for any child past the age of 18 months. It features activities that combine just the right amount of fun and learning that a growing child would need on a daily basis. So let us get right into the specs.
With this activity cube, you get moving cogs, moving beads, an abacus, shape sorter, a maze, and yeah, we could go on if we wanted to, but you get the idea. Everything about it is fun as well as educational. It even has a multiplayer facility so your child can share the fun with their peers and spend some good quality time together. It is made of premium quality beech and comfortably satisfies European standards. So you have the fun and learning but also the safety and durability to go along with it.
Manhattan Toy Tree Top Adventure Activity Center
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Why we like it: One look is all it takes before you know you want one. Safety, check. Durability, check. Fun and educational, check. Looks… drop dead gorgeous.
First of all, we love that it is made from wood, but that is only beginning here. The Manhattan activity center has four quadrants featuring an assortment of different activities. You get six tracks featuring gliders themed after your favorite childhood animals, brightly colored wooden beads running around, six bead runs, a spring flower, and so on. In the beginning, you will need to assemble it properly which will not be very difficult, we imagine. And then you can let your kid take it from there.
This activity cube is coming from an award winning manufacturer that has been dishing out quality products for decades now. And that pedigree really does shine through the way this thing is designed and built. Not only is it insanely fun, educational, durable, and safe, it also stands the test of time. There is something classic and authentic about how it looks and how it works. We feel it will continue to stay relevant for upcoming juniors for many years to come.
WolVol Musical Activity Cube Play Center
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Why we like it: We like an activity cube that is more musical and focuses on the practical aspects of life and saves you from the hassle of gift wrapping.
The Wolvol musical activity cube makes a lot of its competitors look like dinosaurs thanks to some unique functions that are more consistent with the current century. We are talking, of course, about its detachable cell phone and ability to play music. Kids will also be treated to a steering wheel as well as other motoring features in candid details, at least in terms of a soundtrack. There are also cute compilations of songs that can be played while your child is using it.
The build quality is pretty strong and the soundtrack is not too imposing or irritating. It is just enough to be tolerable. Unlike the usual assortment of academic learning encouraged by many other activity cubes, this does not really bother with any of them. Its functions are more based on the practical stuff like driving, talking on the phone, using tools, singing, etc. Plus, it comes in a delightful gift ready box so you can present it without the use of wrapping paper or tape.
B. Zany Zoo Wooden Activity Cube
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Why we like it: If you’re sensing early interest within your toddler for animals, this cube is going to be a very good idea for you.
The B. Zany Zoo activity cube is precisely what it sounds like. It is a miniature zoo full of animals to delight and interest your child. Just about all of its activities are animal themed. On one side, there are windows with hidden animals inside, next there is a full spinning alphabet complete with more animals, then there are a few zig-zig tracks, and finally another selection of spinners that make all sorts of animal incorporation. On top, you get a bead maze made from wood.
All of the aforementioned features help make this activity cube a great source of fun and learning. It is ideal for use by children between ages 1 and 3. The construction is durable and easy to maintain and clean. The use of wood is, in fact, a signature feature of this brand. Its play features are also accessible not just to your child but a friend or two as well. The more the merrier right? With so many fun games to play, this cube will easily serve as the perfect distraction for your toddler whenever necessary.
Bead Maze Cube Activity Center by Kids Destiny
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Why we like it: Superior build quality is matched by a delightful assortment of fun activities to keep your little one engaged and happy all through the day.
The Kids Destiny activity cube has five sides to it that are loaded with fun activities for your toddler to indulge in. The peg maze located on top has removable and reversible beads that are large enough to be easy on the little hands that play with them. Below, it has one side each for rotating gears, a chalk board, a sliding peg board, and an abacus. Altogether it has five corners to turn to each time your kid wants to engage themselves in something fun and creative.
But the construction is not all about fun and games. As ever with any children’s toy, it needs to be safe and durable as well. It is made entirely out of wood and has been given a safe paint finish. The build quality is good enough to easily pass USA standards. And in comes fully assembled and ready to play straight out of the box. It is right up there with the best fun and educational toys your toddler can have.
MMP Living Play 6-in-1 Play Cube Activity Center
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Why we like it: It has a handy six activities to distract your kid into some really good fun and cognitive development.
Toddlers, as we know, have an extremely short attention span that can switch on a dime. This activity has been configured to be not one, not two, not three, or four, but six times the charm at keeping them engaged and giggling over their little fun games. You get the classic wire and bead set on top, an abacus with counting beads, sliding shapes, counting fish, wooden gears, and tic tac toe. So that is an ideal toy for having fun as well enhancing brain function.
However, in addition to making this one of the most fun toys for toddlers, the manufacturers have also spared some thought for practicality and convenience. Storage, for instance, is quite simple since the beads and wire panel can be reversed and tucked away into the activity cube. In addition, you can play with it separately as a table-top activity. Ain’t nothing quite like this cube to develop your child’s motor skills. It is good enough for kids anywhere from toddler years to pre-teens.